The next morning, Lam Minh arrived at the Blacklight training facility right on time, feeling both a little curious and a little "mischievous." He wanted to know what Quynh Nhu's punches would feel like against his Foundation Establishment body. It would probably just be like a tickle, right?
He walked in to find Quynh Nhu already there, warming up with extremely professional movements. Today she wasn't wearing a loli dress, but her familiar tight-fitting combat suit, her pink hair tied up high, her eyes as sharp as knives.
"You're here?" she stopped, looking him up and down. "You look like you've 'recovered' well. Your skin is even nicer than mine."
Lam Minh gave a wry smile. "It's all thanks to your daily 'visits'."
"Cut the crap," Quynh Nhu put on her gloves, the sound of the Velcro tearing with a powerful rip. "Get in the ring. I'm not going easy on you today. I want to see if that 'qi field' I felt the other day was real or just my imagination."
The two of them stepped onto the stage.
"Same old rules," Quynh Nhu said. "You can only defend."
"Yes, ma'am, my creditor," Lam Minh gave a comical military salute.
Quynh Nhu snorted coldly, then suddenly charged. Her speed was noticeably faster than before. Clearly, she wasn't joking. A straight, powerful, and decisive punch aimed right at Lam Minh's face.
Lam Minh stood still, not dodging.
POW!
Quynh Nhu's fist, which could shatter a brick, connected with Lam Minh's cheek.
But...
Lam Minh only tilted his head slightly. His expression didn't change at all. He felt no pain, just a slight... tickle.
Quynh Nhu, on the other hand, was a different story. She felt as if her fist had struck a wall of super-elastic rubber. A powerful rebound force shot back, making her entire arm go numb all the way to her shoulder.
"What... what the hell?" she stammered, taking a few steps back, rubbing her aching hand. "What is your face made of?"
Lam Minh rubbed his cheek, feigning surprise. "Huh? Did you punch already? Why didn't I feel anything? Maybe I'm not fully awake yet."
His completely innocent words made Quynh Nhu fume.
"You... you dare to look down on me?" she roared.
She charged again, this time not with a single punch, but with a rain of blows. She used all her strength, speed, and skill as an elite special forces soldier, relentlessly attacking Lam Minh.
POW! BAM! THWACK! POW!
A continuous stream of dry thuds echoed. Lam Minh stood still and took the beating. He didn't need to use qi to defend. The sheer durability of his Foundation Establishment body was enough to nullify most of the physical damage from a normal person, no matter how strong they were.
Every punch and kick Quynh Nhu landed on him only ended up hurting herself. Her hands ached, her legs grew tired, while her "punching bag" just stood there, occasionally letting out a yawn.
"Hey... are you done hitting me yet?" Lam Minh asked, his voice a little "bored." "I'm starting to feel a little sleepy."
Quynh Nhu stopped, panting heavily, drenched in sweat. She looked at Lam Minh with utter disbelief. He was completely unharmed. Not a single bruise, not a single drop of sweat. Even his clothes weren't wrinkled.
"Impossible..." she muttered. "My strength... it's increased a lot after the last special training session. Why... why does it have no effect on you?"
She looked at her own hands, which were now slightly red and swollen. Then she looked at Lam Minh's nonchalant face. A harsh and absurd truth dawned on her.
It wasn't that her attacks had gotten weaker, but that this "punching bag" had become too tough, too tanky, in a way that defied science.
The pride of an elite warrior was dealt a heavy blow. She couldn't accept this reality.
"I don't believe it!" she yelled, pouring all her strength and anger into one final blow. It was a spinning kick with maximum velocity, a kick that could snap a banana tree in half.
Seeing her use her ultimate move, Lam Minh sighed. "She's a lost cause."
This time, he didn't stand still. Just as her heel was about to make contact with his side, he gently reached out his hand.
He didn't block, nor did he parry. He simply used two fingers to lightly pinch the heel of her boot.
Gently, precisely, and without a hint of effort.
The world seemed to stop.
Quynh Nhu's devastating kick was completely controlled by just two fingers. She was frozen in her mid-kick posture, completely off-balance, looking both struggling and comical.
"You... you..." Quynh Nhu stammered, her face flushed, partly from exertion, partly from embarrassment. She tried to pull her leg back, but couldn't. Lam Minh's two fingers were like a steel vise, clamping down on her.
"See, I told you," Lam Minh said, his voice calm. "You can't hurt me by hitting me. Well, let's call it a day for practice. I still have to go home and prepare for the commendation ceremony."
He gently released his fingers.
Quynh Nhu lost her momentum and fell to the floor with a thud.
She sat there, looking up at Lam Minh as he leisurely stepped off the stage. His image at this moment, in her eyes, suddenly became incredibly tall and distant. The gap between them was no longer the gap between a creditor and a debtor, but an insurmountable gap in strength.
"Lam Minh!" she called out suddenly.
Lam Minh turned his head. "What now?"
"Who... who are you, really?" she asked, her voice no longer sharp, but filled with curiosity and a hint of... vulnerability.
Lam Minh smiled. A warm smile, no longer teasing.
"I'm Lam Minh. That's all."
With that, he turned and left, leaving a pink-haired girl sitting alone in the vast training room, her heart in turmoil. For the first time, she felt that her "punching bag" was, in fact, a mountain she could never hope to climb.